Indiana University women’s basketball guard Ali Patberg was selected as one of 50 candidates for the Women’s Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List that was announced on Wednesday, and it’s the fourth preseason honor for her.
Patberg, a redshirt junior from Columbus North, has the Hoosiers off to a 2-0 start to the season, and ranked No. 21 in the latest Associated Press poll released Monday, which is the highest ranking in program history.
Patberg finished with six points, five rebounds and eight assists in a 75-52 win over Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday. She added 17 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in a 111-47 win over Nicholls State on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Williams still perfect
Marian University forward Elle Williams finished with eight points and five rebounds in a 71-40 win over St. Francis on Friday.
Williams, a senior from North, added 16 points and two rebounds in an 88-50 victory over Cardinal Stritch University on Saturday.
The Knights are 4-0 on the season.
Huffman off to 1-1 start
Cedarville University guard Ashlyn Huffman scored 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 97-83 loss to Ashland on Friday.
Huffman, a junior from North, added 12 points, three rebounds and nine assists in a 77-64 win over Bellarmine.
Gross remains solid
Olivet Nazarene center Alex Gross posted 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in a 122-89 win over East-West University on Friday.
Gross, a sophomore from Hauser, added 14 points and 13 rebounds in an 86-68 win over Huntington on Saturday.
The Tigers are 5-1 on the season.
VOLLEYBALL
VanLiew, Eagles streak snaps
Florida Gulf Coast outside hitter Cortney VanLiew recorded 16 kills and seven digs in a 28-30, 30-28, 25-21, 25-21 loss to Kennesaw State on Friday. That loss ended a 14 match winning streak for the Eagles.
VanLiew, a junior from East, added 16 kills, seven digs, three blocks, an ace and an assist in a 25-21, 25-19, 25-14 victory over Lipscomb on Saturday.
The Eagles are 25-4 overall and 13-2 in the ASUN.
Western contributes in wins
Northern Kentucky middle blocker Bailey Western recorded eight kills, three digs and three blocks in a 25-22, 25-22, 27-25 win over Oakland on Wednesday.
Western, a junior from East, added nine kills and seven blocks in a 23-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-21 win over Milwaukee on Sunday.
The Norse are 14-12 overall and 7-7 in the Horizon League.
Williams still strong
Indiana University-Kokomo setter Kendal Williams tallied 47 assists and 11 digs in a 29-27, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19 win over West Virginia Institute of Technology on Friday.
Williams, a sophomore from East, finished with 32 assists, six digs and two aces in a 25-20, 25-17, 25-8 victory over Rio Grande on Saturday.
The Cougars are 23-11 overall and 13-3 in the River States Conference.
FOOTBALL
Crider, Hoosiers ranked
Offensive lineman Harry Crider and the Indiana University football team are ranked in the top-25 in the latest AP poll for the first time in 25 years.
Crider, a junior from Columbus East, and the Hoosiers sit at No. 24 this week after an off week over the weekend. The Hoosiers are currently 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten Conference, but face a tough challenge when they travel to No. 9 Penn State for a noon kickoff on Saturday. The game will be televised on ABC.
Bailey scores in win
Illinois State wide receiver Tristan Bailey, a redshirt freshman from North, caught his first touchdown pass of his college career for 12 yards in a 27-18 win over South Dakota State on Saturday.
The Redbirds are 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Locals help Panthers to title
Hanover clinched the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football title Saturday with a 42-13 victory over Rose-Hulman to claim the league’s national playoff automatic qualifier.
Cody Horner, a freshman from East, recorded 64 yards on three kickoff returns, and also had an interception on defense, and Nash Murphy, a freshman from East, recorded four tackles on defense in Saturday’s win.
Jamon Hogan, a sophomore from East, Jacob Sitterding, a freshman from East, and Mark Salle-Tabor, a junior from North did not record any stats in the game for the Panthers (8-1, 6-0).
SOCCER
Teo scores in win
Bellarmine women’s soccer player Natalie Teo scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Truman State in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday.
Teo, a junior from North, scored the goal in the 75th minute in the win. The Knights (12-4-3) will meet McKendree in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
SWIMMING
Coles finishes first
Marshall University women’s swimmer Darby Coles finished first in the 50 freestyle in 24.24 seconds in a dual meet with Bowling Green on Saturday.
Coles, a junior from North, placed second in the 100 freestyle in 52.61, and helped the 200 freestyle relay team finish second in 1:38.11.
CROSS-COUNTRY
Rankin places 39th
Grace College men’s runner Ben Rankin finished 39th individually in Crossroads League Championship on Saturday.
Rankin, a senior from North, clocked in at 27 minutes for 8,000 meters (8K) to help the Lancers to a seventh place team finish with 195 points. Indiana Wesleyan won with a 34.
James Pence is a sports writer for The Republic. He can be reached at jpence@therepublic.com or 812-379-5632.
